Terabytes of data in a millimeter crystal: New technique can transform microelectronics
To create the new memory storage technique, the team added ions of “rare earth,” a group of elements also known as lanthanides, to a crystal.
Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have developed a method to store data using crystal defects as ones and zeroes, each the size of an individual atom.
UChicago PME Assistant Professor Tian Zhong explained that each memory cell is created from a single missing atom, or defect. This approach allows terabytes of data to be packed into a small cube of material just a millimeter in size, shows the research published in Nanophotonics.
The innovation showcases UChicago PME’s interdisciplinary approach by applying quantum techniques to transform classical, non-quantum computers. It repurposes research originally focused on radiation dosimeters – devices typically used to measure radiation exposure for hospital workers – into revolutionary microelectronic memory storage.
According to first author Leonardo França, a postdoctoral researcher in Zhong’s lab, they integrated solid-state physics used in radiation dosimetry with research focused on quantum science, even though their work is not purely quantum. This interdisciplinary approach enabled the development of groundbreaking microelectronic memory storage.